(PRWEB) January 21, 2006

Laboratory trials held in a leading research institute, Retroscreen Virology Ltd, associated with the University of London found Sambucol® to be at least 99% effective against the Avian Flu virus H5N1. Sambucol® was effective at

significantly neutralising the infectivity of the virus in cell cultures. These results will also be presented during the International Conference on Bird Flu: “The First Pandemic of the 21st Century. A Central Role for Antivirals”, to be held at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital on January 19th-20th 2006.

Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu, is looking into further investigations into the activity of Sambucol® against Avian Flu on a wider scale.

In an earlier study (1995) Sambucol® was found to be effective against a wide range of influenza strains. Laboratory studies conducted at the Hebrew University – Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem demonstrated the activity

of Sambucol® against human, swine, and avian influenza strains. Sambucol®’s efficacy was also demonstrated in two double blind, placebo controlled clinical studies. Sambucol® was shown to cut the duration and

severity of the common flu by up to half.

Notes to editors;

Sambucol® is based on an active substance isolated from the black elderberry.

Manufactured by Razei Bar Industries Israel, Sambucol® is available in 17 countries and in the UK is sold in Tesco, leading chemists, independent health food stores and wholesalers from £8.49.

For photography please visit the following site and enter the log in details:

FTP address: ftp://pixelit.co.il


user name: ftp_razeibar

password: 63+84675

For further press information please contact: Francesca Gaffey/Cheryl Davies, Communique Public Relations, Waterside, No2 Canal Street, Manchester, M1

3HE. Tel: 0161 242 5120/0161 242 5108 Fax: 0161 228 7391

For research information please visit: Retroscreen Virology Ltd. at: http://www.retroscreen.com/

For product information please visit:

Razei Bar Industries (1996) Ltd. At: http://www.sambucol.com

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Mchenry, IL (PRWEB) February 20, 2006

Avian-Flu-pandemic.com recently launched a H5N1 bird flu discussion forum that is generating a lot of excitement among the general public. People are expected to join this new forum in waves from all around the world and expects as many as 500 new members in just over 90 days.

“These new forums allow a way for countries all around the world to collectively work together in preparing for the immanent pandemic” said the webmaster, and founder of the website. “The forum will provide an invaluable communication structure for the entire world in the event of a crisis. “It will help people to coordinate plans and share information among other people across the globe, which is very unique”.

This website’s motto of people-informing-people has added a comforting appeal to the site, which is attracting people from all over the world.

“We believe in providing a caring type of atmosphere on the forum. We understand that new visitors to the site may be a little nervous of the current situation so we will make every effort possible to comfort them. If the new visitors take their time and review the information on this site, they will have no problem adequately preparing for a Pandemic”.

The website is also a great source for receiving the latest bird flu news and developments as live news feeds from all around the world.

For all those that are interested in immediate preparation for the ensuing H5N1 bird flu pandemic, we would encourage you to visit this site located at:

http://www.Avian-Flu-Pandemic.com

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Find More Flu Press Releases

Fullerton, CA (PRWEB) January 22, 2007

There has been a lot of discussion lately on the Avian Flu Talk message board regarding reports from national media sources, which are now indicating that the number of bird flu patients is continuing to rise since the avian flu virus re-emerged last month after a near 6 week hiatus. There have been a total of 8 confirmed human deaths in the last 30 days spanning from Egypt to Indonesia.

The most recent reports in Indonesia indicate that the number of suspected cases is still increasing, but the Public Health Ministry has been slow to confirm these reports. The number of confirmed cases in Indonesia over the last two weeks equals approximately 10% of their total cases since 1993.

Vietnam, South Korea and Hong Kong have also experienced a surge in poultry outbreaks over the last month.

The bird flu virus appears to have now become easier to transmit from birds to humans, which has sparked a mass culling campaign in the backyards of Indonesia.

Experts fear that this sudden increase of outbreaks will substantially increase the chances of the bird flu virus evolving into a human flu pandemic.

For more information regarding the latest bird flu news, or to see what others are saying online, we would encourage all of those who have not already done so to visit the following Internet based discussion forum at http://www.Avianflutalk.com.

Contact Information:

Jim Henry

Media One

1.714.381.1020

2461 E. Orangethorpe Ave.

Fullerton, CA 92831

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More Flu Press Releases

Wayzata, MN (PRWEB) June 7, 2006

CO2 Partners, LLC, an organizational leadership consulting business, in partnership with The Business Development Group, has released a free briefing for businesses and organization to become better informed about the Avian Flu and how they can prepare themselves.

“Flu pandemics are like earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis, they occur. There’s going to be another one. There have been ten in the last 300 years. It’s important to understand that when you’re preparing for pandemic influenza, you’re preparing for something that will happen….(H5N1) is the most powerful influenza virus we’ve seen in modern human history.” –Dr. Michael Osterholm

Dr. Osterholm is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), associate director of the Department of Homeland Security’s National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD), and professor in the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota. He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. In June 2005 Dr. Osterholm was appointed by Michael Leavitt, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to the newly established National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity.

It is estimated that only 18% of all U.S. companies have any plans in place to meet the issues of an outbreak of the Avian Flu as it relates to a human pandemic influenza or fear of a pandemic. If the Avian Flu gets to the U.S. it may well have only a minor impact to the stakeholders. If however, it mutates into a human pandemic influenza, the economy could easily become paralyzed. People would isolate themselves in their homes, thus stop going to work, school and public venues. Unemployment insurance and government support services would be difficult if not impossible to access. As time continued banking, food supplies, the Internet and phone services would become disrupted. It is estimated a pandemic could cause up to 30% of all small businesses to go into bankruptcy. Referring back to the nightmare results of Katrina, as an example, it is easy to predict that the number could easily go higher.

An AI outbreak in the U.S. will have little impact on most individuals. In contrast, however, a human epidemic in the U.S. or even overseas would impact a greater number and create fear and disruptions on a global basis. A pandemic could be biblical in global devastation. It would impact the U.S. military, police and other security aspects of daily life. Few if anyone would not be touched by death and sickness.

·    57% of Americans reported concern about the spread of Avian Flu.

·    15% said they were very concerned

·    20% believe they or a relative will get the Avian Flu.

·    75% said they would avoid travel.

·    71% said they would avoid public events

Current government recommendations for families and business suggest the stockpile of critical supplies before a human pandemic occurs. It is estimated that these supplies should last from 3 weeks to 3 months and depend on the impact to the logistics of a community. Companies should create work at home plans and provide key employees with “Flu Kits” as preparation for the contingency that the virus migrates into a human transmittable strain. A pandemic event could last 12 to 18 months.

At the time of this writing, no human AI-related pandemic virus has been identified. The U.S. food supply remains safe and world health agencies are working to control this aggressive bird-related disease that has been in existence for centuries if not longer. But that could all change if this virus mutates. And many elite scientists believe it’s not just a matter of if, but when.

Peter Lytle’s “Avian Influenza and Human Pandemic Influenza Briefing” is a terrific first step toward preparing yourself and your organization for an outbreak of Avian Flu. In this educational presentation, you will be given:

·    A clear, simple primer about the Avian Flu (AI), its impact on animal populations, and the potential impact on humans

·    A government/industry report card on preparedness—both for controlling AI in poultry and a potential human pandemic

To learn more about how to obtain this free 87 page PowerPoint brief and reference sources for statistical information visit us at http://www.co2partners.com/letter.htm and please send others to our site to benefit from this critical information.

Family and individual plans are available from the CDC and can be accessed on their website: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/.

Other planning support can be accessed through The Center for Infectious Disease, Research & Policy (CIDRAP) http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/.

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

More Influenza Press Releases

(PRWEB) November 2, 2005

An innovative new water treatment system could provide the UK’s poultry farmers with an extra line of defence against the spread of avian influenza in the national flock.

The Aqualution system, developed by UK company Forum Bioscience, was originally developed to help producers reduce the incidence of food poisoning bacteria such as Campylobacter and Salmonella. But during regulatory tests required under the EU’s Biocidal Products Directive, the system demonstrated its ability to destroy the avian influenza virus where it’s present in drinking water – believed to be a possible means of transmission between birds.

“The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says Campylobacter is the single biggest cause of food-borne illness in the United Kingdom,” explains Tom Ritchie, business manager with Forum Bioscience, “so Aqualution satisfied the demand from producers for a product which could be used successfully during production.

“But the speed with which avian influenza has moved across Asia and into Europe has forced producers to consider contingency plans for their flocks, should the disease become commonplace among birds in the UK,” he points out.

“Several producers have expressed an interest in installing Aqualution as their extra line of defence. It provides them with an alternative to conventional chemicals such as chlorine or ozone, where the concentrations required can often have a harmful effect on the birds. Such treatments are also unpopular with consumers who, understandably, are becoming more ‘savvy’ about the methods employed to produce their food.

“Aqualution relies on electrolysis to generate ‘activated water’, containing a very small amount of chlorine (3-5ppm) and high concentrations of dissolved oxygen. The combination is terrifically effective against pathogens,” he stresses.

On a typical unit, drinking water will often contain pathogen counts of 100,000/ml. Once Aqualution has been installed, this reduces to 10/ml and often zero.

“Because the water stays ‘active’ up to the point of drinking, the system helps prevent spread of disease between birds,” Mr Ritchie explains. “In addition, we have fogging trials underway to look at the effectiveness of the system for controlling airborne transmissions. If successful, this could then be used inside sheds and control rooms, as well as at farm entrances for disinfecting vehicles.”

Independent testing has shown that the treated water satisfies the British Disinfectant Standard against a range of problem pathogens including Pseudomonas, E.coli and Campylobacter, as well as avian influenza and a number of other viruses.

The system can also boost end profits and animal welfare. “Extensive trial results show that for meat production, a combination of reduced bird mortality, increased growth rates and better food conversion are achieved. In layers and breeders there is also greater egg and chick yield, and litter is drier – easing consumer concerns about ‘hock burn’.”

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Related Influenza Press Releases

Somerville, NJ (PRWEB) October 25, 2005

Trutek Corp. has developed a proprietary topical gel that inactivates greater than 99.9% of Influenza “A” virus during a one hour exposure. ATS Labs, a nationally recognized anti-microbial testing laboratory based in Eagan, Minnesota, conducted the Ex-Vivo Skin Model tests.

Trutek has now redirected its continuing research efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of its topical gel to inactivate the Avian Flu virus. However, Trutek is seeking outside access to the exact strain for testing purposes.

“The modality of inactivating a virus demonstrated previously with Trutek’s gel in tests conducted by ATS labs is uncommon and worth pursuing further testing on avian flu subtype H5N1 of the Influenza “A” virus” says Dr. Paul Ratner, M. D.; Trutek’s Director of Medical Affairs. ATS Labs President Douglas G. Anderson notes that “Access to this particular strain is very limited. If it were available, ATS Labs could evaluate the effectiveness of NasalGuard gel to inactivate this strain of avian flu virus as well.”

Dr. Ratner quotes recent articles that state that this avian flu strain seems to show a potential to mutate rapidly. “All recent episodes and analysis points towards lack of preparedness if a flu pandemic ever broke out. We are willing to send samples of our safe topical gel to any testing agency or organization anywhere in the world that will independently test and declare their results to the public health officials about the gel’s efficacy,” says Dr. Ratner

The patented methodology of the gel that first collects and then inactivates the harmful airborne virus outside the body as a preventative barrier is a totally unique concept. Trutek’s search for samples of the H5N1 strain for lab testing the gel have not been successful so far. With the call for better preparedness for the upcoming influenza season, Trutek hopes to invite attention for a possibly simpler solution to combat a potentially dangerous spread of the virus.

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Long Beach, NY, (PRWEB) November 14, 2005

The Bird Flu Handbook: What Is Avian Influenza, And What Do We Need To Know To Be Prepared For A Pandemic? is the new title to be published and released under the Vayu Publishing brand. Written and compiled by Manoj Kunda and Ward Lin, this is a very timely book that achieves Vayu Publishing’s mission statement of publishing books in an expeditious fashion, with a focus on the important current events or topics of the moment that consumers want to be informed about.

Written in a convenient, concise, and easy to read format, The Bird Flu Handbook is an excellent resource guide that provides extremely valuable and up to date information concerning one of the most serious issues in the global news today…Avian Influenza, or Bird Flu, and the impending threat of a worldwide pandemic that could cost millions of lives and cripple the global economy.

The Bird Flu Handbook was compiled using extensive current information and research obtained from many of the U.S. Government Agencies that have had significant experience in dealing with viruses, pandemics, and similar crisis issues and, therefore, are able to inform us of what we need to know to prepare ourselves.

To highlight the importance of this issue, President Bush has announced $ 7.1 billion in emergency funding in order to prepare our country for a possible pandemic. The U.S. Government is right to be concerned, and so should we, considering that the Bird Flu has already spread to birds in 16 countries, while infecting 121 people and killing 62 people, according to the World Health Organization.

Anyone who has read the newspapers, or watches the news, and wants to learn more about this potential crisis will find The Bird Flu Handbook to be an extremely valuable resource. Among the issues covered in the book are: information about avian influenza (what it is, and how it spreads); information about influenza pandemics and what we can do to help protect ourselves; how influenza is spread from animal to human, and human to human; and a very extensive chapter answering the most commonly asked questions about avian influenza.

Especially susceptible to avian influenza are the elderly, children, and anyone with a weak immune system. The Bird Flu Handbook could prove to be a valuable addition to your library, and could help you to take the necessary precautions should the need arise.

In addition, the complete Table of Contents will be made available on Vayu Publishing’s web site to any interested party who wants to get a better understanding of the type of content available in the book. http://www.vayupublishing.com

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Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 11, 2005

Bird flu is disease found in birds. The H5N1 bird flu in Asia has a hard time spreading person to person like the common flu virus, but according to a leading medical information company it’s a leading contender to be the next pandemic flu bug. Nobody says that this bird flu will be the flu that causes the next pandemic for people. Research shows bird flu could in fact change from birds to humans in a couple of different ways. First, if a person was infected with the flu virus and also contracted bird flu at the same time the genes could mix and a human version could than emerge. Second, the bird flu could learn how to spread to humans on its own, the viruses will to survive. Scientists have confirmed that this has already begun, but the bird flu virus is not having lots of success at the present time. This is what happened in 1918 with another bird flu virus that caused a pandemic.

The World Health Organization says they’ve observed this bird flu virus changing very rapidly, but they also say it hasn’t progressed as much as they expected in the last 18 months. The WHO is uncertain whether a pandemic can happen next year, or next week, or at all. They simply suggest continuing with research to prepare. The H5N1 bird flu is resistant to an older class of flu drugs, but remains sensitive to Tamiflu and Relenza.

While all of this is happening around us, CaluTech UV Air Purification in Illinois has been working desperately to find alternative ways to protect against this bird flu virus. “It scares me, I’m afraid for my little guy” said Doug Freitag, one of the specialists working on the project over the summer at CaluTech. “What we were trying to develop to help give an extra sense of protection from bird flu, should it become an airborne spread flu virus, we already had. We found that out during our research. This flu virus dies from ultraviolet germicidal irradiation at 3,400 microwatts under a pure UV-C wavelength of 253.7 nanometers. We’ve got about 7 times that much power, an easy kill.”

UV-C light is germicidal. It destroys DNA & RNA in microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses & mold. It’s so effective the U.S. Government requires it in all new buildings. CaluTech’s most popular system, called the ‘Blue’, produces 24,000 microwatts of UV-C radiation. The system mounts in the air duct in an average 10 or 15 minutes and sterilizes the air as it recirculates through the HVAC system. Adding this air sterilization system in homes and business buildings can greatly reduce the chance of infection should bird flu become a human to human airborne flu illness.

About the CaluTech Product

The Blue UV air system is certified to U.S. & Canadian Standards, used in homes in every state & Canada, even overseas. When the United Nations chose CaluTech for UV air purification over many other companies the competition took notice of this small company just outside of Chicago. Today the company has distribution points in Illinois, Georgia, New York and New Jersey as well as many overseas clients. Recently Saudi Arabia starting using their systems for sterile air within the Kingdom of Bahrain. CaluTech is committed to offering advanced air purification systems to the general public to improve the air we breathe and reduce the risks of infection from various microbes in our daily environments.

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Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) October 20, 2005

The avian influenza crisis has touched down in Europe, having landed on the wings of waterfowl in Romania. But the virus is also pushing a wave of media-driven fear ahead of it, creating panic buying of countermeasures, and foreshadowing more serious impacts for economies and public health efforts in the weeks and months ahead. In response, Bio Economic Research Associates (bio-eraTM) invites registration to a special one-hour web teleconference, “Thinking Ahead: Anticipating the Future Economic Impacts of H5N1 Avian Influenza” to be held Tuesday, November 1st, 2005 at 11:00 am edst.

The teleconference will feature a presentation by bio-era Managing Director for Research, James Newcomb, followed by invited comments and moderated discussion with noted guest experts, Dr. Robert Shapiro, former Undersecretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs in the Clinton administration, Dr. Sherry Cooper, Global Investment Strategist for the Bank of Montreal, Dr. Stephen Martin, Global Influenza Program, WHO, and Dr. Robert Cook, VP, Veterinary Services, Wildlife Conservation Society. Recent economic developments of note around H5N1 avian influenza include:

Concerns and fears about a possible influenza pandemic are already driving Westerners toward stockpiling the available countermeasures: from the antiviral drugs TamifluTM and RelenzaTM, to experimental vaccines, to sanitary masks and wipes. Governments, large private corporations, and individuals mostly in Western countries have made commitments or purchases totaling at least $ 2.3 billion to stockpile oseltamivir (Tamiflu)—an antiviral drug produced by pharmaceutical giant Roche – which is of uncertain effectiveness against an as-yet-to-emerge pandemic virus.

Meanwhile, months after they made their first appeal, the Food and Agriculture (FAO), World Health (WHO) and Animal Health (OIE) Organizations of the UN have only been able to raise 30% of the $ 100 Million US that is desperately needed in SE Asian countries like Vietnam (annual per capita healthcare spending equals about $ 21.00 US per year) to strengthen H5N1 regional surveillance and response.

Significant commitments have also been made to manufacturers of flu vaccines to create vaccines effective against H5N1 variants, but it is not known whether the vaccines being developed now would be effective against the influenza strains that might emerge.

New “DNA vaccines” offer an alternative to conventional production technologies, and could speed the vaccine industry’s ability to respond, but these technologies are not yet approved by FDA.

H5N1 avian influenza causes severely virulent disease primarily in poultry and wild birds. As a disease of poultry, it has already caused tens of billions of dollars in damage to affected countries in Asia. More than 150 million chickens and ducks have been destroyed by the disease to date, and affected countries have been saddled with the additional burdens imposed by poultry trade embargoes, and the public health costs of responding to the disease, which can be contracted by humans who come in contact with infected birds or their by-products. So far, the virus has infected at least 123 people, killing about half of them. There is also a real, but at this point only theoretical, possibility that H5N1 could evolve the ability to transmit easily from person to person. No one knows for certain if, or when, this might happen.

If a highly virulent human influenza pandemic does emerge, it is virtually certain to be the most devastating social and economic event of our lifetimes.

First, and in many ways foremost among the consequences, will be a wave of fear driven decision-making that will spread around the world much faster than the disease itself, and will have huge but very poorly understood or anticipated consequences.

Even if the disease never evolves to become a human pandemic, it is certain to create fear driven economic reactions and trade disruptions, as it spreads globally in birds, sparking local poultry epidemics, and sporadic human infections and death. This bio-era teleconference will present the firms latest analysis of the economic impacts of Avian influenza (H5N1), including the economic burdens that could be imposed by the animal disease, and some of the potential impacts to consider should the current outbreak develop into a global influenza pandemic.

“We’ve been looking at how things might unfold under two different but highly plausible scenarios for the evolution of the outbreak,” said Stephen Aldrich, President of bio-era. “One in which things keep going pretty much as they have been—a drawn out spread of the virus globally, with occasional outbreaks in poultry and wildlife, and a slow but steady increase in the number of human infections and deaths.” “And another scenario, in which you get the outbreak of efficiently transmitting human-to-human disease in rural Indonesia, spreading into Jakarta, and from there around the world—all within about six months.”

“We’re convening the call to present and talk about these two possibilities with some noteworthy economic experts, and to discuss the early and potentially highly damaging wave of fear driven decision-making that seems destined to precede the impacts of the disease itself.”

The teleconference is a part of bio-era’s recently launched service “Thinking Ahead: Anticipating Early Impacts of an Avian Influenza Pandemic”, designed to support business and investment planning efforts in advance of a possible influenza pandemic. To register for the web teleconference, please visit http://www.bio-era.net/events/event_form.html. or to enroll in the bio-era service, please visit http://www.bio-era.net or contact Steve Aldrich at 617 876-2400.

Bio Economic Research Associates (bio-era™) is a leading provider of independent research and advisory services on the emerging bio economy. Bio – era’s mission is to help decision-makers understand and respond to the risks and opportunities arising from the economic and societal impacts of human-induced changes to biological systems. The firm’s practice areas include biosecurity, bioenergy, and biotechnology.

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(PRWEB) December 6, 2005 –

Bird Flu Beacon (http://www.birdflubeacon.com) has been created to inform professionals and the public about the progress of a potential pandemic. The site features both the latest bird flu news and practical tips for preventing infection and for protection in case of infection.

Recently the site posted news of a controversy in China, which has been accused of under-reporting human bird flu infections and deaths. Dr. Masato Tashiro, a virologist working with the World Health Organization, reported in a meeting with his colleagues that there were 300 deaths and 3,000 people quarantined in Hunan province based on unconfirmed, unofficial reports he obtained in Hunan.    

Boxum.com, a Chinese website, also made this claim, adding thousands have been quarantined, and human-to-human transmissions have occurred. The site reported 77 deaths of workers who were helping control H5N1 in poultry in Liaoning province. Shanghaiist.com, in their November 28 issue, offers a photo of an alleged formal government document giving instructions to suppress and control bird flu reporting.

Official Chinese sources put the number of deaths at two. Whether the Chinese government is engaged in a cover-up or the reporting system for H5N1 is vastly inadequate, the results are the same: under-reporting.

Under-reporting of bird flu infections in China and other Southeast Asian countries gives a false sense of security. The press frequently reports that fewer than 130 people have been infected with H5N1 avian flu and fewer than 70 have died worldwide. The low numbers are based on confirmed numbers only.

There are enormous problems in gathering accurate data, according to Dr. Shoshana Zimmerman of eHealth Institute and a founder of Bird Flu Beacon at http://birdflubeacon.com/

    Farmers reporting bird infections are likely to have their flocks killed and lose their livelihoods, even being left destitute.

    Few farmers and rural villagers have medical services.

    Doctors may be untrained in bird flu symptoms.

    Getting a sample to a lab for H5N1 analysis is cumbersome and expensive.

    Countries which report large scale outbreaks can expect to experience widespread panic and economic loss, as occurred with SARS.

“It is almost inconceivable that China should have only 2 bird flu deaths when thousands of workers are exposed to sick birds through China’s bird vaccination program. Under-reporting has worldwide implications, and is reminiscent of the flu epidemic of 1918 which killed 20-50 million people. In 1918 the public was given false assurances, and the threat minimized and under-reported until a pandemic could no longer be denied. Bird Flu Beacon was created to help make sure this does not happen again,” Dr. Zimmerman added.

About Bird Flu Beacon: For factual information, thoughtful analysis, and bird flu news you can trust go to http://www.birdflubeacon.com. The site features the latest bird flu news,a map tracking its path, and practical tips for lowering risk of infection or deal with bird flu if it comes to their hometowns. It also features a blog, http://bird-flu-blog.blogspot.com/ which reports news and commentary.

Contact:

Laurie Grace

615.385.8143

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.